Broken Toy
by Cyclothymic
Summary: With all the changes going on in Embry's life, the last thing that he needs is to deal with a broken imprint. Melissa was a perfectly ordinary girl, with a perfectly ordinary life, living in Forks. After the 'incidence', she fears even the simplest touch of a man. She believes that no man is ever going to even want her; after all, she is only a broken toy. -dark themes-
1. Chapter 1

My knees pulled up to my chest, I let my head drop onto them. I was refusing to look at the other people in the room. I knew exactly what they were going to ask, and they knew exactly what I was going to say; absolutely nothing.

"Melissa, sweetheart, talk to me, please. Why did you do it?" the soft voice of my mother came to my ears but I just dug my fingernails into my hands, refusing to talk. I can't talk about it. I wouldn't talk about it. I wouldn't even think about it. I tried my hardest not to think about it, but it was everywhere I went. I saw him in every man that I saw. It took 6 days before I could stand my own mother touching me.

5 minutes passed by before my father lost his temper, again. He stood up and the entire atmosphere in the room shifted. I flinched, knowing he was going to ask again.

"God damn it, Melissa, could you at least talk to us? At least tell us why you tried to kill yourself?"

I started shaking. My father intimidated me even before the incident, and now he down-right terrified me. He was a member of the police force in Forks, Washington, my hometown. It didn't feel like home. I was terrified to go back to that town, knowing exactly what would happen. I would see him. I couldn't see him. I couldn't handle that.

"Melissa, calm down. Mel, it's okay, it's okay, we're going home today. They're giving us your medication. You're going to see the best therapist that we can get you honey, okay? Deep breaths, please," my mom wrapped her arms around me, knowing that my father had started a panic attack. I could feel my chest tightening and my breath shortening and the pure panic flooding my brain. I began hyperventilating, and my mom just kept brushing my hair with her hands, knowing that it was the only thing that could help me. While I sobbed, my dad sighed and went to grab the car so that we could start on the drive back to Forks. Currently, we were in the mental asylum in Seattle, Washington. They don't like calling it an asylum, though, they prefer a 'psychiatric unit'. Not like it helped me anyways, I was just there until my stitches healed and I would be transported back home. I wasn't a 'high-risk'.

"Come on, honey, it's time to go," my mom helped me stand up after my panic attack had ridden out. My dad would've helped me, but I wouldn't let him touch me. I couldn't let any man touch me. Not after it happened. No man could ever touch me again. I was dirty, I was thrown away. Like a broken toy.

Nobody wants a broken toy.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Just to clarify a couple of things: Melissa is a Sophomore, so she's 2 years younger than Bella and Edward in school. However, since their school is so small, everybody has classes together.**

I had to go back to school eventually, that's what my mom kept saying at least. The school was giving me a week, 5 days, to get my stuff together. That was all they were giving me. They would most likely give me more, if they actually knew what happened. Actually, if they knew, I'd be across the damn country by now. He would also be dead, and my father would know exactly how to do it. Every police officer has their 'perfect crime', especially when they had a 15 year old daughter.

"Mel, today is the day. I'm making banana chocolate chip pancakes, your favorite!" my mom yelled into my room. She had already gotten all of my things together, gotten my late homework, helped me out with my late homework, gave me my medication directly on time, and everything else the psychiatrists told her to do. I had to practically force her not to pick out my own clothes. She was trying to make things as easy as possible for me, but honestly I wanted her to go back to work and leave me in peace with my loud music that drowns out my thoughts. Without my music, I doubt I'd even be able to breathe, much less get out of bed. A loud knock shocked me from my slumber, reminding me to actually get out of bed.

Getting out of bed, I yanked on my yoga pants and long sleeved dark green sweater-dress. My knee-high brown boots made me look at least partly presentable. I didn't care much what I wore, as long as it was long sleeved, comfortable, and swallowed me. I looked shapeless, undesirable, which is exactly what I was going for. My hair was naturally straight and I wore my bangs in my face, not bothering to put on make-up.

"Mel, you're late, you're going to have to eat in the car" my mom handed me my bag while grabbing her keys. I wasn't trusted to drive anymore, since the insurance shot up after my stay on the unit. Especially since my mom heard the lyrics to one of my songs, "I should've crashed the car the night I drove alone". Apparently it was frowned upon to think about crashing my car while living in a town surrounded by trees, and wolves. I could hear them howling in the middle of the night, and one sounded especially close-by. It reminded me of the night that... no. I can't have a panic attack now, not while going to school.

"Conceal it, don't feel it" I whispered to myself; it had become my mantra ever since I watched Frozen. I had nothing to do, so my mom rented me an endless amount of Disney movies, hoping that they would make me open up to her, since I've loved Disney since I was a small child. It had the opposite effect, I sealed myself off further, glaring at all the demonstrations of "true love". Love didn't exist, especially like the love in the movies. Maybe to other people, but definitely not to me.

"Melissa! Get out here, now." I stuffed the bottle of Xanax into my pocket before rushing outside and into the passenger seat of my mom's Audi A8. My family was wealthy, and they weren't afraid to let it show. Even though my father worked in the police department, my mother was a brain surgeon. She thrived on living on the edge. I could almost see the physical restraint she had as driving me; she was notorious for going over the speed limit, but since she didn't want to frighten me, she went below the speed limit for once. "Eat, Melissa." She shoved the plate into my lap. The smell was tantalizing, but disgusting at the same time. I looked down and shook my head.

"You're withering away before my eyes, Mel. Please eat," she had a pleading look in her eyes as she stared at me. I refused to look at her, stepping out of the car onto the curb of Forks High School. I dreaded going back. I slammed the door on her pleas, and repeated my mantra.

"Mellie! You're back! You haven't returned my calls for weeks, I was afraid that you were dead. I heard that something happened, what happened? Your mom wouldn't even let me in the door, I tried breaking in but every door and window was locked, which never happens. So what happened? Why aren't you wearing make-up? No offence, Mellie, but you look awful," Samantha, my best friend since I was born, met me at my locker and unleashed her rant upon me. I knew that this was going to happen. I shoved my things into my locker and sped walked to my first class, with Samantha still blabbering behind me. I knew that the first day back was going to be hard, but I didn't expect to be annoyed by first period. She grabbed my arm and I froze for a second before yanking it away.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Melissa?!" she yelled after me. I didn't respond, dodging between people, careful not to let them touch me. I couldn't handle anybody touching me besides my mom, and even that wasn't for a few days. I couldn't deal with her, especially not now. I sat in the back of my math class, nodding at my teacher who gave me a look of pity. They all knew I was in the hospital because I attempted suicide, but they didn't know why. They couldn't know, they just all pitied me. They didn't have me make up any of the work that I missed, and were going to tutor me if I needed it. In all reality, I just wanted to be left alone by everybody.

"Looks like we've got a new Bella," Ben joked with me and Austin, his best friend. I forgot Austin was in this class, oh god. Don't feel it. Don't feel it. "Woah, looks like we might." Austin laughed with Ben, and only I could detect the sinister feel behind it. I slyly took a Xanax. They were supposed to help, but they didn't. I knew that people were going to make comments about me being the 'new Bella', especially so soon after the Cullen's came back. Alice was also in this class with me; she sat on the other side of me and glared with all her might at Austin and Ben. They looked away, and looked ashamed for a second. Ben did, at least. Austin looked at me longer, smirking. I could feel his stare on me, his stare on my body. I pulled my knees up to my chest. It wasn't easy to do, because the desks in Forks were so small. Alice looked at me with pity, trying to catch my eye; it was as if she knew. She looked at me with pity, her gaze travelling to my forehead, where I was trying my best to conceal the scar with my hair. I thought that nobody could see it, but I guess that she could. I would have to put makeup on that later.

I bolted out of the class the moment that I could, and I could feel everybody's eyes on me, . I couldn't wait to leave. I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, blotting concealer on the jagged scar that ran from my hairline to my temple. I tried to not look in the mirror as much as I could, darting to my next class without touching anybody.

"Hey, Melissa, I'm glad you're back," Bella sat next to me in math, speaking to me with a soft voice. I jumped still at the sound of my name; I was doing it all day. Every voice morphed into his in my head, and I couldn't stand it. Samantha wouldn't even look at me, but it was easier that way. It was easier to push everybody away. I nodded at Bella. She never even payed attention to me, the small little sophomore that everyone overlooked. I was intelligent, which was why I was in classes with Bella and Alice. It was easy to keep up with my studies when I didn't have anything to do other than try not to think about it and have a panic attack. I was doing really well so far; it was the period before lunch, and I haven't had one yet. "I know that it's hard but you can talk to me" I glared at Bella. No way. She didn't just say that.

"You don't know. You have no idea. None of you have any idea." I barely talked anymore, but I spit those words like they were venom. She flinched away from me, turning towards the front. I couldn't stand people thinking that they had any idea what I was going through. They had no idea. Nobody could have any idea.

I felt my breath begin to shorten and my chest tighten. I had to get out of there, I couldn't be there anymore. I ran out of the class and out to the parking lot, swearing once I realized that I didn't have my car. I shoved the rest of my things into my locker, then took off running towards the woods behind the school. I avoided the looks of people who were having lunch at that time; I couldn't face anybody. I couldn't do it. I don't know why my mother thought that I could do this, so soon after everything happened. It's only been 2 weeks. I slammed my fist into a tree, hearing the crack sound almost like music to my ears. My body flooded with dopamine from the pain, and I watched the blood seep from my knuckles. I slumped against the tree, waiting for the high from the dopamine to end. I could tell that my hand wasn't broken, but it needed to be washed soon. I didn't care about that right now, I just wanted to think about anything else other than what happened. It's only been 2 weeks.

It's only been 2 weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N There is going to be underage drinking and smoking in this story, along with mentions of an un-diagnosed eating disorder. Embry is going to appear in this chapter, and the Cullen's are also going to appear strongly in this story. **

It's been a month and a half since everything happened. I've been 'good' for the past 2 weeks, so I'm allowed to drive my car and have my phone again. It didn't matter to me much, all I did was drive to and from school and therapy. Today, however, I was driving down to First Beach. Both of my parents were busy at their jobs, so I didn't have to explain where I was going or make up a story about what I ate. I don't remember the last time that I ate, I just wasn't hungry anymore. I occasionally talked now though, which is a 'big milestone'.

Plugging my phone into the dock in my car, I was able to listen to my songs, which my mom always disapproved of. I tapped my fingers on the wheel to the beat of the song, and hummed along.

Driving into La Push, I always got endless stares at my car. It took everything I had to convince my parents not to get me an Audi or an expensive Nissan or something of the sort. I was driving a simple Jeep Wrangler, which was helpful if I didn't want to walk to 'my spot' along the beach, so I could just drive to it. Today, I was in a walking mood. Hopping out at the parking lot on First Beach, I grabbed my bag from the back and set out along the trail that led out to the cliffs. I left the well worn trail that went to the lower cliffs and took the hardly there uphill trail that led to the higher cliffs. I knew that if people jumped from that high, they were likely to die or sustain some sort of major injury, so it was a perfect place to be alone and watch the waves.

Once I got to the cliffs, it was slightly sunny outside. Being the stereotypical Forks girl, I was pale, which was a striking difference from the tribe in La Push. After laying out a blanket to sit on, I took off my sweater and sweatpants, leaving me in a tank top and shorts. I sat along the edge of the cliff.

At this spot in La Push was the only spot that I felt at home in. Ever since everything happened, it felt like there was a hole in my heart, and La Push could almost fill it. Almost. Even sitting here, my heart still felt empty, but not quite as much. Maybe because he was too much of a wimp to come up to the cliffs, so I knew he wouldn't bother me. Or anybody. This was the only place that I could be myself.

I tied back my long hair and dangled my feet over the edge. I knew I wasn't going to fall. I felt the wind against my legs and face, smelling the salty sea air and feeling the sun on my face. I felt peaceful, for once since the incidence, I felt peaceful.

It was about 2pm, not too early to start drinking, right? I pulled the bottle of vodka out of my bag along with the pack of menthols. My mother is an alcoholic and my father has smoked since before I was born, so it was easy to sneak both of these things. They stopped examining me under a microscope; in fact, they were happy whenever I'd leave the house to do exactly this on the cliffs of La Push. Besides, there was a lot worse things I could do than to drink and smoke.

I smoked not to get hungry and I drank to take the pain away. It was the perfect concoction. I was drinking my calories anyways, so I didn't need to eat them. I didn't need to eat anything. I felt invincible.

After about an hour, I'd stashed the vodka away. I just drank enough to make me slightly feel it, so it'd wear off before I drove home. I was laying down on my blanket and staring up at the clouds, tracing the pictures of them with my cigarette. Putting it out after I was done, I put all the butts in a container I kept in my bag. Why litter? I kept staring up into the sky, thinking of not much at all. Exactly how I liked it.

Another hour passed before I heard loud laughing. I froze, before remembering that people jumped from the lower cliffs all the time. They probably just got lost, and would turn around. The laughs got even louder, and my heart began beating faster and faster. I tried to sit up quickly, but had to lay back down because I felt an intense head rush. Waiting for the blackness to fade away, I realized after a minute that the laughter had stopped. I felt eyes on me, and suddenly remembered that my arms and legs were exposed. I was screwed.

"Holy shit..." I heard one of them whisper, his voice deep and husky. Holy shit was right. Not only had people found me, but those people included what sounded like a very large man. I didn't want any man besides my father even near me, much less these men. I sat up slowly, grabbing my sweatshirt to put it back on, avoiding looking at them at all costs. I snuck a look at them and realized they were members of the infamous La Push "gang". I swore in my head and started packing up the rest of my things.

"You don't have to leave, I shouldn't have said that," the same man said again, my hands were shaking as I tried folding up my blanket. Suddenly I saw dark hands next to my own. I jumped back and started shaking even harder, my thoughts racing. I was here, alone, with 4 very large men. One is very close to me. They are all at least a foot and a half taller than my 5'0 self, and they all saw my scars. The scars that were obviously self inflicted. My breath shortened and I kept stepping backwards.

"Jared, you scared the hell out of her. She looks like a damn deer in the headlights, she reeks like booze and smoke. Just leave it," another voice spoke, biting and harsh. I flinched at the harshness of his voice, then tripped backwards and immediately curled up into the fetal position. Tears were streaming down my face, and I was hyperventilating. I squeezed my eyes shut harder as my mind was flooded with images. I remembered the harshness of his voice, the feel of his hands on me, his laugh, the pain, oh god. I dug my fingernails into my hands hard enough to cause bloody imprints in my palms.

"Paul, look at her, man. Look what you did. Someone get Emily or Kim," a dIfferent voice spoke this time, one with authority. Emily and Kim, those were girls names. I could handle girls, anything but these men. I heard multiple pairs of feet run down to get the girls, and two people stayed. Supposedly the man who just spoke and another one. I didn't know who the other one is, he hadn't talked but I could feel his eyes on me.

"Hey, stop doing that, look at me," I heard a soft voice whisper. I jumped, there was suddenly a woman sitting in front of me. "I'm sorry that I scared you. Will you hold my hands?" Her voice had a calming effect on me, but I still held on tightly.

"I've been attacked, also. My name is Emily. I'm going to let down your hair, okay?" I didn't reply to her, but I knew that it was a good idea to do. I felt her nimble fingers undo my hair tie quickly, and my hair tumbled down my back. I was comforted by this, how did she know that I would be comforted by this? "Hold my hands, please. I'm going to touch your hands now." Her skin was soft as her hands touched mine, pulling my fingernails out of my palms. She held my hands and I squeezed hers, feeling the scars on the back of her hands. "There we go. Now breathe with me. You're going to get through this, you're going to live through this." I tried to slow my breathe to match hers, but every time I started to, I started hyperventilating again. I didn't even know this woman, and she was trying to get me to calm down?

"Melissa, calm down. Breathe with Emily, please," the other woman, Kim I'm guessing, told me. I started getting flashbacks; I knew Kim. We played together when we were younger, our mothers were close. When I got closer to Samantha, we stopped hanging out. I sobbed, feeling glad to recognize a person.

"You're having a panic attack, Mel. Breathe with Emily and I. You can get through this. Lean into me, Mel," Kim told me, placing her arm around me. She practically pulled me towards her, which wasn't a hard feat. "I've had them too. You're going to be okay, they didn't mean to scare you. Just focus on your breathing, nobody is judging you. Nobody is going to hurt you." Kim began running her fingers through my hair. My breathing started to slow down and the shaking was slowly stopping. Whenever I felt panicked, Emily would squeeze my hands and I would start relaxing again. Emily had the presence of a mother, which was very comforting. After a while, I was calmed down and just felt tired. The panic had flushed all the buzzed feeling out of my body, and I felt very much sober.

"Melissa, are you okay now?" Emily asked me, I scoffed at the question. I hadn't been 'okay' since the incidence. I nodded and opened my eyes. I understood what she said about being attacked; she had scars running down her face, but she hadn't been attacked like I had been. I released her hands and leant into Kim. She had always been taller than me, but now she seemed to be at least 5'7 and beautiful. Kim wrapped both of her arms around me, her fingers smoothing out my hair.

"Melissa, I've heard about what happened from my mom. You were attacked. What happened, Mel?" Kim lifted my head so I was staring her in the face. Her finger traced the scar on my forehead.

"Why do you care?" The words slipped out before I could think, thick with the tears that were still threatening to run down my face.

"Go down to the bonfire, I'll be fine up here," Kim dismissed everybody else. Her eyes held sorrow, and she looked like she was getting ready to cry along with me. Everybody left, and one of the men's gazes lingered on her. She nodded at him, and they all left. "Why wouldn't I care? Everybody cares, Mel. Your mom is concerned because you haven't been eating, and you've been drinking and smoking."

"Nobody cares, everybody is pretending. People stopped asking. after I was the 'hot gossip' no one gives me a second look anymore," I started saying what I was thinking, which I hadn't done in a very long time. "No one cares that I freeze whenever he looks at me and I sit as far away as I possibly can. I used to get looks of pity but I don't even get those anymore, just looks that say 'get over it already'. Samantha stopped caring. Everybody thinks I want attention but that's the last thing that I want. I want to be ignored and I want to be pretty and I want this hole in my heart to be filled but it won't and I don't know what to do anymore."

"I don't care about anybody else, I care about you. You were attacked. You had the worst thing that could happen to a girl happen to you. You're beautiful. You may feel this hole in your heart but no amount of alcohol, cigarettes and starving is going to fix it," Kim told me what I'd heard a thousand times, and I shook my head. She couldn't know. She doesn't care. Nobody cares, she's just pretending, like my parents and my therapist. "You will be okay, and that hole will be filled. Just not by destructive manners. Please, come down and eat with us."

I remembered the 4 men that had scared me, and I immediately started shaking my head. I could handle talking to Kim, but there's no way that I could handle being around those men.

"They're nice, please Melissa. At least sit with us. You're probably freezing, it's 7pm now. There's a fire, and none of the men will bother you. I'll drive you home after we eat, I promise," Kim helped me get to my feet after I thought for a minute and agreed. I'd stay as far away from the men as possible, and then I would go home with Kim. I was up there longer than I thought, and it had gotten darker during my panic attack. We walked carefully down through the path, her arm around me to stop me from falling on my face. The closer we got to the beach the louder the laughs were, and I shivered from both the cold and the thought of being around them. I couldn't do it.

"Melissa, do you want me to tell you about them before you go down there? They look scary but they're all like big teddy bears. They're the protectors of La Push. They're not a gang, like most think," Kim stopped me close to the bonfire, but far enough that they couldn't hear us. I nodded to her, knowing who they were would make things a lot easier on me.

"There's Sam, he's the leader of sorts. He doesn't talk too much, but everybody listens when he does. He's married to Emily, the woman earlier. Then there's Jared. He's my boyfriend, and he always wants to make a bet, but he's the one for me. Paul, he's a jerk with a short temper, don't worry about him or anything he says. He won't hurt you. Jacob is nice and he's strong, he's in love with Bella and she's sometimes here with us. Embry and Quil are both Jake's best friends, those three are almost inseparable. Quil is a complete flirt, ignore him, and Embry is quiet and shy. Jake was the other one up on the cliffs earlier, they were going to go cliff diving." I mentally composed myself, piecing back together my brain and myself. Put on a show. I nodded and we began walking again. I sat down on the log that nobody else was sitting on, wanting to at least be alone. I saw that my bag was there, and I drew out my sweatpants and put them back on, really feeling the cold. I scooted closer to the fire, and felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Shit.

I looked at my phone and saw that I had 20 missed calls, each, from my mom and dad with countless texts. I answered, and my mom started rambling. "Mom, I fell asleep on the beach. I'm with Kim and her friends." At the mention of Kim my mom calmed down, she'd always been the most responsible.

"Ok, be home by 11 or tell me if you're staying the night over there, I love you!" I made a noise of agreement and hung up. I knew that my mom would agree as soon as she heard Kim's name. I wrapped my blanket around myself and stared into the fire. I could feel everybody staring at me, and I refused to look back at them. Eventually they started roasting hot dogs over the fire and passed around chips and sodas.

"What, you're not gonna eat? I like my women with meat on their bones!" one of the guys commented jokingly and started laughing. I curled up into my blanket, the slight smile I had on my face disappeared quickly.

"Quil!" Kim glared at him and he shrunk; obviously he had never felt the wrath of Kim before. She was sweet and shy, but she could be terrifying. I smiled at her and she grinned at me, snuggling closer into Jared's side. Jared had apologized again after I'd sat down, and with an elbow in his side Paul also apologized. Everybody looked so alike, it took a while to figure out who was who. I was stuck on who Embry, Jacob, and Quil were. The mystery was solved when Jacob made a comment about Bella, which earned groans, and Quil's talking. That left Embry, who'd laugh occasionally at jokes but was quiet for the most part. He was sitting directly across the fire from me. I had figured this out while staring into the fire; when you don't talk, you can really pick up on a lot of things.

"Dude quit staring, you're gonna scare her off," Quil elbowed Embry and my gaze shot up, confused since they could only be talking about me. Why was he staring at me? I took a deep breath, readying myself before I looked at them. I had to collect myself before making eye contact with men now, or else I'll only see evil in their eyes. After I was done, I met Embry's stare. His expression immediately softened. His eyes were a warm dark brown, and were showing almost every emotion except for malice. The emotions passing were so intense that I had to break the eye contact. I wanted to look at the sand but my eyes scanned him over, noticing everything from his short hair to his broad shoulders to his feet that were coated with sand. I kept my gaze on the sand, and finally looked at my own, that were also sand-covered.

I thought that everybody would've noticed what just happened, whatever just happened, but they all just kept eating and laughing, besides Embry. I could tell, somehow, that his voice didn't join in on the conversations. It was like my mind was tuned to listen for Embry, even though I wasn't sure what his voice sounded like.

I felt sick. Suffocated. I need to get out of here. His stare made me feel like I was an animal on display, he wouldn't take his eyes off of me. I stood up and grabbed my bag, yanking my keys out as fast as I could.

"Melissa? Where are you going?" Kim and Embry both stood up, their eyes locked on me. Everybody's gaze switched to me and all conversations seized. I stopped for a second, then shook my head and began walking quickly. Embry's hand shot out to hold my arm, "You can't drive like this."

It felt like my brain was telling me that I needed to get out of there, and my heart was telling me to stay. That right there was where I'm supposed to be. I listened to my flight instinct, yanking my arm out of his grasp with all of my might. I took off running towards my car and everybody let me leave. I knew I was going to be the topic for the rest of the night.

I jammed my keys into my ignition, put my head on my steering wheel, turned the radio up high and broke down sobbing.

I cried because I felt something when he grabbed my arm. I cried because I felt myself resist when I pulled out of his grasp.

I sobbed because after it happened, I stood in the burning shower for 5 hours, scrubbing my body raw, and I still wasn't clean today.

I sped home and it started to rain. I almost wanted my car to hydroplane and crash into a tree, so it could be an accident. I didn't however, as much as I wanted to. I parked in the garage, my parent's cars missing, and ran into the house. I grabbed a bottle of liquor, I didn't even look, and went into my room. I climbed out of my window onto the top of the house.

I sat on the top of my house getting soaked, but I didn't care. I downed the alcohol, trying to numb the pain, but it didn't work. The hole in my heart was bigger now, and nothing could be done to fix it. I knew the one person that could fix it, and he'd never want anything to do with me. I couldn't even touch him without breaking down.

I lied on my back, and screamed at the top of my lungs. A wolf screamed along with me, the both of us howling until our throats were raw and it felt like the entire state could hear our screams of pain.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kim, I'm not going to the bonfire. Enough is enough," I spoke, sitting in the parking lot of Forks high school. Ever since the... _something _that happened with Embry, I refused to go down to La Push, and Kim kept trying to get me to come down. I wouldn't even cross the border, which was saying something because I lived extremely close. It also felt like the hole in my heart was pulling me towards La Push.

"Please, Melissa? It'll be fun, they're going to tell the tribe legends, you loved them when you were little!" She pleaded, I could hear the commotion in the background as she walked into the La Push high school.

"You mean the ones about the wolves? Yeah, no. I hear enough wolves in the middle of the night, I don't want to have to hear more about them. I'm lucky my dad even lets me go to school, much less go down there with all of the killings," I explained to her. Even though I didn't want to go to La Push, despite that, my father still didn't want me even leaving the house the majority of the time. La Push was also surrounded by forests, which didn't help Kim's case.

"Your parents already agreed to let you come down here. Come on, Melissa. It's one night," she pleaded, I could hear Jared greeting her in the background. I rolled my eyes and walked into my school, preparing my reply when my phone was taken out of my hand.

"Nope! She's staying the night with me Saturday. Bye!" Alice's high pitch tones met my ears, along with the sound of her hanging up on Kim. I looked at her strangely; she was being oddly nice to me, along with Edward and Bella ever since I came back to school, and it freaked me out while comforted me at the same time. It gave me somewhere to sit during lunch, and everybody was scared to sit next to us. I didn't even look out of place, since Edward and Alice also didn't eat during lunch.

"I don't think I agreed to that either, Alice," I told her, but it didn't deter her. She hooked her arm through mine and dragged me to my first class.

"I know, but your dad did. We're going to have so much fun! Everybody is visiting for the weekend, so you can meet our whole family! I'll pick you up at 6." She dropped me off at the door and kept walking. She sounded extremely sure of her plans, but I was even more nerve wracked by the idea of meeting her family. They intimidated me when they still went to school with me, and now it would be even worse. I trusted Alice for some reason, that it was going to be okay.

Throughout the day, I felt like the pull on my heart was lessening, which didn't make sense. When I told Kim earlier that I had enough of wolves, it wasn't true. I left my window open so I could hear the wolves; they were the only thing that could lessen the pull on my heart and finally allow me to sleep. I couldn't sleep without feeling the comfort of the wolves.

"Uh, Melissa? There's a large hot buff guy by your car... If you don't take him, I'm going to," Jessica Stanley stopped me in the hallway on my way to my car. I froze, and Embry's face crossed my mind for a fleeting moment. I shook my head to clear it; there's no way that he'd be out by my car. It wasn't possible. It also wasn't possible that every step closer to my car eased my pain. Getting closer, I saw that it was, in fact, Embry. He stood straight, and he looked almost angry. He also looked exhausted, like he was going to collapse against my car at any second. Since he looked like he was a solid foot and a half taller than I am, I didn't want that to happen. Almost against my own will, I walked quickly towards him.

"What are you doing-"

"You can't go to the Cullen's," he interrupted me. I stopped myself mid step, taken aback by his angry tone of voice. I was offended; what made him think he had a say?

"That's not your decision," I told him frankly, just noticing that he wasn't wearing a shirt or shoes. I unlocked my car, going around him to get in.

"Please, Melissa." He grabbed my arm and looked straight into my eyes as he pleaded with me. One half of me wanted to jerk away, and the other half wanted to stay there forever.

"Why?" was the only thing I could ask, in little more than a whisper. His eyes sparked with something that I couldn't explain even if I tried.

"I... I can't tell you as long as you refuse it," he strained to get the words out. His other arm grabbed my hand gently and for a split second I wanted to launch myself into his arms. I froze at that thought, flashing back to the night. Suddenly, his warm hands turned into burning coals. I forced myself away from him, physically and emotionally.

"You need to leave," I tried to steady my voice as I got into my car, starting the ignition and slamming the door. He put his hand on the window, pleading me to roll it down, and I complied.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. I want to help you," his hand reached his hand out toward my forehead to touch my scar. I rolled the window up, almost catching his hand in the window. I sped out of the parking lot, completely distracted by Embry's comments. I knew I was distancing myself from him, but I had the feeling that he was talking about more than just that. I distanced myself from everybody, so what was I refusing?

All of a sudden, bright lights and a loud horn invaded my senses. I slammed on my brakes out of instinct, and the other driver flipped me off as the kept on driving. The force of breaking swung me forward, and I realized I forgot to put my seatbelt on. I did that quickly, and something willed me to turn around. Once I did, I realized that Embry was still standing there, a frightened look on his face. I knew that it was more than just the almost-car accident that just took place.

What was it about the Cullen's that got Embry so worked up? Why did he make me feel this way?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Someone thought that she would find out that she's imprinted on, but nope, sorry! That's not going to happen for a little while, be patient. She has lots of adventures in her future.**

"Hi, Mister and Misses Roberts! I'm here to pick up Melissa!" Alice's bubbly voice reached my ears and I looked at the time; exactly 6:00, like she said it was going to be.

"Melissa! Your friend is here!" my mother yelled up the stairs, and I was about to yell back when my phone started buzzing. I checked it, then rolled my eyes; Kim had been calling all afternoon, along with another number, that I assumed was Embry, because it called more than Kim did. Also, I received a text telling me who he was and that I should, under no circumstances, go to the Cullen's house tonight. I felt compelled on some level to listen to him, but ultimately I stuck with my decision to go to the Cullen's. I wasn't going to let another man control my life. I ran down the stairs and Alice was standing there, her topaz eyes bright and sparkling as she looked at me with my bags.

"You're ready! Let's go!" she grabbed my hand and dragged me outside to her car, that looked very fancy but I couldn't see the make and model because she took my bags, threw them in the back and put me in the passenger side in the blink of an eye.

"We're going to have so much fun! Rosalie can't wait to meet you and we want to go shopping tomorrow and it's going to be the best!" I laughed at her enthusiasm as she peeled out of the driveway at high speeds and sped off towards their house. Alice was talking to me, rambling the entire time about random things, not expecting an answer from me. She slammed on the breaks all of a sudden, and her face looked distant. I'd seen her do this before, but normally she'd come out of it looking bubbly. This time, when she fell out of her trance, she looked angry. "Change of plans." she did a quick u-turn on the private road I'm assuming lead to the Cullen's, and started back on the main road to La Push.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked quietly, not wanting to upset her even further.

"It's either we go there or they come here," she responded, and braked again, this time gently. She got out of the car and I followed suit; it was slightly dark outside, but I could see the figures of two men about 20 feet away. "Go, talk to them or else they'll be outside my house all night." I looked at her strangely and it dawned on me; it was Embry and someone else. I walked forward slowly, feeling as though I stepped over the threshold of something. Embry and the person next to him quickly walked forward. I stopped and they stopped a couple of feet in front of me, the other person holding Embry back. I noticed that it was Jared and he smiled at me, but looked slightly angry with me. Embry looked extremely pissed off.

"I thought I told you not to go over there, and now you're ignoring Kim and I? What are you doing, Melissa?" He spoke low, as if he was trying to contain himself. I flinched from the intensity in his voice, but he didn't seem to notice. "Do you even know how dangerous this is? How dangerous everything is? You could be hurt again." I took a step back and wrapped my arms around myself, my chest tightening; I could feel another panic attack coming on. My breath shortened, and that seemed to snap him out of the state that he was in. The look in his eyes softened, and he tried to take a step towards me. I fell to my knees; the aching in my heart along with the panic was too much for me to stand.

"You damn mutts! All you cause is destruction, leave, look at what you've done to her," Alice was by my side in less than a second, but I wasn't thinking about that, as I was trying to contain my panic. I knew that it wasn't likely to happen, but it would at least delay the attack. I could hear a growl but I couldn't tell who it was coming from.

"You can't-"

"No, you made me do this. You made me come over here. We're leaving," Alice interrupted Jared sharply, taking me in her small arms and placing me back in the car quickly, just as tears started streaming down my face. She raced off towards her house, one cold hand on mine. Pulling into the driveway, she looked through my bag and found my Xanax quickly. She handed me one and brushed my hair as I was able to get it down. I looked at her, trying to tell her with my eyes that I was saying thank you, and she nodded at me. Alice started humming a lullaby that I didn't recognize, and sat in the front of her car with me until I'd sufficiently calmed down.

"Now that that's over with, you want to go inside?" she said in a joking voice and I laughed, hoping that the rest of the night would be better than what just happened. She grabbed my bag and skipped in before me, slamming the front door open.

"We're here!" she sang loudly into her house, and I laughed again while following her into the very elegant house. "Esme is an interior decorator, you'll meet her in a minute. All of the guys left to go to Seattle for an outing to it's just us three and Rosalie!" A woman with caramel colored hair walked up to me and smiled; she was absolutely beautiful, and gave off a motherly vibe.

"Hi, call me Esme. Are you hungry? I was just about to start dinner," she gave me another smile and I shook my head.

"I ate before I came, but thank you very much," my stomach grumbled slightly and she looked confused, as though she could hear it. She nodded at me despite the look on her face, and pity flooded her soft features.

"I'm Rosalie, I remember you," I didn't hear her come down the stairs, but the famous Rosalie Hale appeared before me. It was the first time she had ever even talked to me, and it sounded nice, despite her reputation. "I hope you know that Alice bought you quite the array of clothes and shoes to prepare for tonight." I looked at Alice confused and she pouted at Rosalie.

"You ruined my surprise! Oh well, it's out in the open. Let's go upstairs." she opened the door to what looked like a small department store, but everything was my size. There were racks of clothes, shoes; everything added up was probably more expensive than a car. A vanity surrounded by makeup and hair products lay in the back of the room, with a curling iron already plugged in.

"I'll pay you-"

"Oh no you won't. After everything you've been through this is mine and Rose's gift to you. In my family we never wear anything twice; all of this stuff is in your size and I already know you'll love it so you don't need to try them on. Rose is going to do your hair and I'll do your makeup so that you look more beautiful than you already are!" Alice spoke rapidly, already searching through the makeup. I looked to Rosalie and she smiled at me. I'd always secretly wanted a sibling, and I knew that Alice would quickly fill the little sister role in my life. Rosalie took me over to the vanity, smoothing out my hair.

"Can I cut your hair?" Rosalie asked, and I knew that she was planning on doing so whether I wanted to or not. I knew that a needed a haircut, and her hair was beautiful, so I nodded. She started trimming my hair. "His name was Royce."

"What?" I asked, confused as to what she meant. It had been a while after she had started cutting my hair, and I could tell that it was soothing to her.

"The man who attacked me. His name was Royce, well, can't really call him a man," she started talking and I was shocked; shocked that she was telling me this, and that it was going on right now. She scoffed at the last sentence, but started up again.

"I was visiting my older friend Vera. I was dating him at the time, but the love wasn't in the relationship. I knew it, but I kept dating him anyways. I saw her little boy, his name is Henry, the cutest little thing. Her husband kissed her, and I immediately knew that what I had with Royce was never going to be what Vera and her husband had. Walking back home, I ran into Royce and a couple of his friends. They were drunk, and started laughing and joking around about me being an object, and being his possession. I refused, and he didn't like that. Not at all. He passed me around to his friends, he raped me, they raped me. Left me on the side of the road, broken and bloodied. Carlisle heard me, and he saved my life. Him and Esme adopted me and my brother. Carlisle is the only reason I'm alive, and the only reason I met my Emmett. What he did to me, I'll never forget. A few weeks later he died of a heart attack. In my opinion, he had exactly what was coming to him. Now I can't have children. He took everything away from me, but my life. I'm standing here, more than he ever imagined that I could be." She finished cutting my hair midway through her story, but continued to look at me through the mirror. I could tell that she wasn't lying by the look in her eyes; it was reminiscing. It was the pain in my eyes covered up by layers of strength.

"How... How did you get through it?" I asked softly, and she sighed.

"Time. A lot of time, and a hell of a lot of confidence. People call me a bitch, but I've gotten through more than they can imagine." She looked at me straight in the eyes. "You've gone through hell and back, Melissa. But you're here, and you're alive. Whether or not you want to be."

"The difference is that you know he's gone. I have to see him most days. See him laughing and staring at me like I'm an object that he's conquered. Smirking every time I flinch when someone raises their hand because I'm afraid they're going to hit me," this was the closest I've ever gotten to admitting what happened. Rosalie put her hands on my shoulders, then wrapped her arms around me. Her skin was cold, but it was comforting knowing that I knew someone else who had been through what I had been through.

"Tell people who did it to you, he'll be gone," Alice piped up. I jumped, forgetting that she was there. I scoffed at what she said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"He won't be gone. I don't have any 'proof'. It'll be my word against his, and I'll just be tortured by the trial and all the bullshit that goes with it. There's no point," I choked out the words and Rosalie wrapped her arms around me tighter, her hands combing through my newly trimmed hair. Alice's eyes became filled with pity, then bounced back.

"Enough of this, let's do makeup now!" Alice pulled me back into the vanity and started teaching me the various ways to cover up my scar and highlight my 'natural beauty' as she puts it. My eyebrows were waxed to perfection, and I felt the old me shining through for once in a long, long while. The Melissa that liked makeovers and liked human interaction and being touched.

"Now, let's go get our fill of chick flicks and popcorn," Alice pulled Rosalie and I down the stairs by our hands and I looked back at the clothes, knowing that it would probably take a small moving truck to bring all of the products to my house. I smiled thinking about everything that would take place between me and my now only friends.


End file.
